My little Zilla man is two years old. Here are some snippets from his birthday party, the little things I want to remember, and other random musings about the past 6 months.
Partay!
I had just hosted a wedding shower two weekends before so we were in full party hosting mode. Zilla's current favorite things are planes, trains, and anything with wheels, so of course we made this the theme for the day. We had so many wonderful family and friends come and visit with us! I continue to be so thankful for all of the love they show our Zilla.
Zilla, here are the little things that make you, you:
1) I love the way you pronounce yogurt as "logurt"
2) I love the way you hug me while I dry my hair because the hairdryer is just a little bit scary
3) Your incredible memory never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes this becomes a struggle when we are trying to distract you from an object or activity you can not have/do and you are simply not one to be distracted; but I hope it serves you well in the future.
4) I will never forget the day your teacher at school told me you have the best vocabulary in your class and are one of two in your class who knows all of his colors. Did you know there was a time I was not sure you would develop strong language skills at all? You blow me away everyday!
His ABC's!!
5) I love the way that you can make all of the animal sounds; but my favorite is when you say "meow" because you always say it in a way that makes a cat sound so sad. (at 54 seconds on the above video he does his animal sounds)
6) I love how you love tractors, automobiles, and those "Airplanes in the sky!" You are so observant and will spot one before we even hear it coming.
7) Even though this can make therapy a struggle, I am so impressed with the way you have learned to use your right hand. Ms. Jane will give you a new activity thinking it will force you to use both hands, and the next thing you know you've found a way to do it with just your right. You're stubborn little one, but you sure are talented.
8) But I am also equally proud of how far you have come with you left hand. You used to use your mouth to hold additional items and now you don't even hesitate to pass them off to your left.
9) Zilla, I love the way we hold hands while in the car on long road trips. Even though it can make mommy's shoulder hurt, I will never let go unless you want me to (and even then I'll hold on in my heart)
10) Recently you started putting your face next to my lips while I sing you to sleep. The vibrations must tickle a little because you will do the sweetest, softest little laugh. It is the best.
11) I love the way you greet Dada and Momma when we come home. "Dada's here!"
12) I think it's so cute the way we kiss Jesus goodnight each night, but really you point out his "owwies" and then gently head-butt him before saying "Lush you, Jesus"
13) Again, although also a struggle, sometimes I find it funny the way you narrate Mass in a very loud voice. "SIT DOWN EVERYBODY" "GUITAR!" "YEA!" "JESUS!"
14) I love when you are singing Steve Earl and you say "hup!" and pump your fist in the air just like daddy does.
15) I love the way that you say "hold you" whenever you want mommy or daddy to pick you up.
16) Although not the most polite thing, I love the way you say "yup" when people ask you questions
17) I love when you ask mommy to sing to you
From Dada:
18) I love how you sway your head during every song you like. And when you try to dance. And how you make Dada pick you up so we can dance together.
19) Your suspicion of strangers is admirable and also very cute. You give them the judgiest faces.
20) I'd also like to make an apology for every time you try to help and break or spill something and I raise my voice in frustration. Its those moments when you are just trying to be more than a child, and I treasure them.
21) This conversation every week at Mass: "Zilla, can you whisper?" (Yelling) "YES!"
Zilla's Favorites
Book: At night he loves listening to the book his Nina made for him. It has her voice recorded so Nina gets to read to him. During the day he loves his truck book from his aunt and uncle.
Song: Don't even get me started. Steve Earl's "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" is played at least 5 times a day in our house. Heaven help me.
Toy: Without a doubt, his guitar.
Activity: Being outside, all of the time, cold or hot. This includes going to the park, going on walks, playing soccer...etc.
Zilla's other favorite activity is going down the street to visit his Aunt Berly, Uncle Jwag and cousin Roodle. We barge in on them unannounced at least once a week. I don't know how they feel about this. But Zilla really enjoys them.
Food: This one is a little harder at 2 years old. I swear his taste buds change daily. But the pancakes mommy makes and his waffles are pretty standard favorites. Yogurt & pizza never seem to go out of style, either.
Chore: Zilla is pretty good about cleaning up after himself when it comes to spills. We try to let him drink from a big boy cup as often as possible, so when he does drip some he almost always goes to get towels and clean up.
Clothes: Zilla wore the same two shirts for a solid month (other than those days I fought him to wear something different). Of course they were the two shirts he owns with an airplane and a motorcycle on them. Thank goodness Mimi got him some new guitar and automobile shirts, we can start to expand our horizons.
Yeah, I think you get the picture.
Quick Zillupdate because I'm terrible about updating all of you lovely people:
So the last we talked we had just had our MRI completed. Yeah, it's been that long.
Results indicated what we had expected. Zilla has some scarring on the right side of his brain. The neurologist said he actually would have expected his legs to be more impacted than they are. There may be some sensory integration problems, which could explain why we noticed him becoming easily overstimulated (thanks a lot books that recommended letting him sleep in noisy environments for the months and months of an overstimulated, cranky baby. I kid. Mostly).
So therapy carried on and like I said above he is really doing so great! His language is no longer a concern and he is SO SO smart. I mean, all parents say that, but his therapists are constantly commenting on how far ahead he is with understanding conversation and problem solving skills. His left hand has really come a long way too. He's able to open it and do basic manipulations. Our big goals right now are finger isolation and supination on the left side.
At our follow up with Scottish Rite they indicated that his diagnosis, which is currently hemiparesis, will likely be reduced to monoparesis over the next few years. Which is great because this means he may not have any lasting affects to his left leg! Woohoo! I'm just so proud of all of his hard work.
And that's basically all I've got. We've had the best two years. Seriously, the best. I can't imagine life without this little guy in it. He brings so many laughs on a daily basis. He is just this little joy who keeps on giving more and more amazing things to look forward to! I love to look at you and see what mommy and daddy's love created and continues to create. We love you little guy with all of our hearts.
